Outsiders: Season One (2016) DVD Review

Tv Overview

There are some dips and lulls in some of the episodes, but overall it's a pretty cool show.

Bottom Line:

4 / 5 - Explosive!

Reviewed by: david j. moore

Review

Summary:

A struggle for power and control set in the rugged and mysterious hills of Appalachia, “Outsiders” tells the story of the Farrell clan, a family of outsiders who’ve been in these parts since before anyone can remember. Living off the grid and above the law on their mountaintop homestead, they’ll protect their world and defend their way of life using any means necessary.

Review:

An Appalachian mountain filled with precious coal has been inhabited by a very large family known as the Farrells for untold generations, and they live by the own pagan rules. When a “big coal” company tries to muscle in on their territory and attempts to force the Farrells to vacate the region so that coal can be mined, the threat doesn’t even faze the clan of backwoods dwellers, who seem to be governed by an almost supernatural entity that resides deep within the mountain. Their “Bren’In” (their king or queen, depending on who the power and honor is bestowed) is an old woman, whose power-hungry son Big Foster (David Morse) is wedging himself closer to the top spot, while a wayward kin named Asa (Joe Anderson) returns to the mountain after spending several years away on a sojourn in the big city to seek a life separated from the infighting of the Farrell clan. Big Foster’s loyal son Li’l Foster (Ryan Hurst) clashes with Asa when the woman they both love – a red haired beauty named G’winveer (Gillian Alexy) – is secretly chosen to succeed the Bren’In, and her heart and intentions lie not with either of her suitors, but with the place of power in the clan. As the modern world creeps in around them – led by the superstitious, drug addicted sheriff (played by Thomas M. Wright) of the nearest town over – the Farrells must defend their place on the mountain to maintain the strange balance the supernatural force has over them.

A radically unique cable TV show from WGN, Outsiders is quite unlike any other series currently playing. It is reminiscent of Sons of Anarchy only in that it tells a sweeping story of roughhousing brotherhoods and intensified violence, but its focus lies in the highly unusual underlying theme of an unevolved clan of men and women beholden to the power of a mountain. It’s really interesting, and purveyors of action episodics will get their fill, as well as fans of complex romance, character-driven plots, and an overview of a microcosm that we’ve not really seen in a fictional series before. It has elements of grandiose medieval storytelling under the guise of an action series, so you’re in for an interesting time here.

Sony recently released the entire first season (13 unedited episodes) of Outsiders, and I found it to be a pleasurable discovery. It’s currently available to own. The second season airs in 2017. Check it out.

About the Author

david j. moore

david j. moore is the author of World Gone Wild: A Survivor's Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Movies and the upcoming book The Good, the Tough and the Deadly: Action Movies and Stars, coming April, 2016 from Schiffer Publishing.